Move Over Oscars, Emmys & Clios...

IFC Celebrates the Best and the Bizarre in Local TV Commercials with "The LoCos," Entertainment's Newest Awards Extravaganza

Submit, View & Vote for the Greatest Stars, Jingles, Taglines, Mascots, Special Effects and More from the World of Low-Budget Local Commercials

The LoCos Kick Off Today at http://LOCOS.IFC.com/; Cast Your Vote for a Chance to Win $250 Cash

Stars of IFC's Newest Original Series RHETT & LINK: COMMERCIAL KINGS Will Judge the Final Winners

New York, N.Y., June 27, 2011 - Many of TV's most unforgettable moments have unfolded during the tiny slices of time between the shows themselves, when the medium is commandeered by local businesspeople. These passionate entrepreneurs employ low-budget creativity, and often excessive outrage that sends customers running for their doors. From New York's fast talking hi-fi king Crazy Eddie and the gravel-voice soft ice cream magnate Tom Carvel to LA's uber-laconic car painting pitchman Earl Scheib, every city in America has its own great local commercials and stars, and they will finally be getting the honor they deserve thanks to IFC's The LoCos Awards.

IFC is launching The LoCos alongside the debut of RHETT & LINK: COMMERCIAL KINGS, an original, ten-part docu-comedy chronicling the offbeat and artsy adventures of Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal, two life-long friends who travel the country making epic local commercials for some of the nation's most deserving small businesses. Together, the duo has created more than 200 web and television spots, which have been viewed more than 90 million times (www.youtube.com/rhettandlink). These ad-savvy partners will serve as the final head judges for IFC's The LoCos after fans whittle down three finalists in each category.

Launching today at http://locos.ifc.com, The LoCos enable fans to upload and vote for their favorite local commercials, in 10 categories, now through July 20. The categories/honors up for grabs include:

· The Palme d' LoCo: Best Local Commercial Overall

· Best Performance by an Animal or Child

· Best Original Song/Jingle

· The Jaw Dropper: Most Memorable Special Effect or Set Design

· The Star Swipe Award: Best Use of Graphics

· The Hammie (Most Overly Dramatic Performance in a Local Commercial)

· Most Unforgettable Tagline

· Best Costume or Mascot

· The LoCo Golden Turkey: The commercial most in need of Rhett & Link's help!

· The Lifetime Achievement Award: Bestowed upon a memorable, and perhaps even deceased, local advert pitchperson legend

Web-goers can simply submit a link to any local television commercial housed on YouTube or Vimeo and choose one or more categories for entry. They can vote in any category once a day through July 20. Every day a fan votes, he/she may enter into a sweepstakes to win one of ten $250 prizes, which we hope will be used to help support a local business in their community. One of these ten $250 prize winners will also receive the costume worn by Roger, owner of the Presidential Carwash in a commercial created by Rhett & Link for their IFC series. A running tally of votes for each commercial will be featured in real-time on The LoCos contest site. The top three vote-getters in each category will make the finals, which will be announced July 23. Head judges, Rhett & Link, will determine the winners, who will be announced to the press on July 27. Both finalist and winning businesses will receive an IFC LoCos Awards Medallion, which they can post on their company web pages or at their place of business.

Visitors to IFC's contest site can already enjoy some of the most creative, entertaining and offbeat offerings from the annals of Local Commercial history - curated, categorized and readied for voting. Included are: the creative use of a rubber chicken featured in an ad by Little Rock, Arkansas's Gold & Diamond Exchange; "Casket Man," from Connecticut's Colonial Funeral Home; the trippy animation and musical tribute to legendary New York City subway dermatologist Dr. Zizmor; the Weapons of Mass Appetite Destruction from Indianapolis' Roscoe's Tacos; the apocalyptic mayhem on the green screen from Pittsburgh's Berger and Green Law Firm; the talking baby pitchman from Altoona Water; the WTF racial stereotyping from Van Nuys' Gary's Mattress; the beloved "Special Man," who grants credit to the bankrupt at New Orleans' Frankie and Johnny's Furniture and a host of celebrity and historical impersonations, from the spirited Schwarzenegger of Wethersfield, Connecticut's Pawn Shop to a 1993 vintage Star Trek parody courtesy of Chattanooga's Marshall Mize Ford.

To begin casting your votes please visit http://locos.ifc.com.

About IFC

IFC creates and champions authentic, original content that is "Always On. Slightly Off." Since 1994, IFC has cultivated television programming that challenges the conventions of storytelling. Today, IFC continues to embrace content with an indie perspective. Original series - headlined by brand-defining scripted and sketch comedy - air alongside an extraordinary collection of films and cult TV shows. Long and short-form original content inspired by music, web, gaming, animation, news, and culture is available on multiple platforms. IFC provides viewers access to must-see festivals and events around the country, like the Film Independent's Spirit Awards and SXSW. IFC.com features exclusive video, podcasts, blogs, news and reviews cultivated and written by industry experts. The network's On Demand offering, IFC Free, gives fans the opportunity to watch select content from IFC whenever they want. IFC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC.

About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC

Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media owns and operates some of the world's most popular and award-winning entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv, Wedding Central and Sundance Selects/IFC Entertainment (Sundance Selects, IFC Films, IFC Midnight, IFC Productions, IFC Center and SundanceNow). Additional information about Rainbow Media's multiplatform brands is available at www.rainbow-media.com.